Wisdom...

About two weeks ago I was walking back to Accra Girls’ and a young boy saw me, crossed the street and asked if he could walk with me. Although this may seem strange in the US, it happens on a fairly regular basis here (it is crazy when I run, a pack of school children will often follow along for half a mile or so). Normally the children will want to ask tons of questions and hold my hand (because it is white) and. Inevitably they ask me for money, or food, a phone number, or an address. However, this kid was content with just simply walking. I asked him his name and he told me; Wisdom. For real, Wisdom. After walking about half a mile, I started to ask him questions and found him to be very cordial, polite and well spoken. As we reached Accra Girls’ I had to buy a loaf of bread, and again, he asked if he could accompany me. He asked for nothing, but actually translated what the bread women were saying in Twi about me (they said they liked that I try to speak Twi with them). So I decided, since this kid had not asked for anything and been so nice to buy him a Fanta (soda). We sat on the curb and drank our Fanta and this kid turned out to be super cool. He is 13, goes to school, has a sister, his favorite class is social studies, wants to be a lawyer, likes soccer, and wants to visit the US. I gave him an SHG pen and told him that if he ever makes it to the US to call the number and come and visit Springfield. I also gave him my phone number here in Ghana. He then told me that he does not even have a phone to call me. So we parted ways after a nice conversation nonetheless.

About two weeks later Wisdom called me. He borrowed a phone and told me he would show up at the gate of Accra Girls’ at 2pm! I met him there, we walked to the market, I bought some fruits and vegetables, and we sat and had a Fanta and a conversation about Barack Obama being president elect and what that means for the world. This kid is 13, acts like a 30 year old, and his name is Wisdom! I invited him over for dinner and he and I cooked for an hour making fried rice. A really neat experience: cooking with a 13 year old Ghanaian. We sat down to eat and, he did not like the rice, but he tried to eat it. I asked him what he usually eats for dinner and he said “Banku with okra stew” (a traditional Ghanaian dish). I asked what he usually eats for dinner each night: “Banku with okra stew”. I asked what he eats for breakfast: “Banku with okra stew”. For lunch: “Banku with okra stew”. How cool is that! He gets to eat his favorite food for each and every meal! I can now understand why maybe he did not like the fried rice. After dinner we chatted for a while, he was for polite and said thank you more than enough and then excused himself to go home.

After he left, I found myself just sitting there mulling it over in my head and really being impressed with the kid. I am not sure what really to take from the whole experience, but I know that it was cool. Wisdom is one of the brightest, most polite 13 year olds I have ever met. I can’t imagine doing something like that in the US, but it was neat to have such an evening here in Ghana.